Install earlier Flash Player version | Internet Explorer

Issue

If you previously installed a version of Flash Player for Internet Explorer, then you can be prevented from installing an earlier version. For example, if you installed Flash Player 10.0.32.18 and tried to install version 10.0.22.87, then the installation fails. In some versions, the following error message is displayed:

"The version of Adobe Flash Player ActiveX that you are trying to install is not the most current version".

Solution

Download the uninstaller for Flash Player from Uninstall Flash Player | Windows (tn_14157). The latest version of the uninstaller for Flash Player deletes the "safe versions" registry key by default. To run the uninstaller in silent mode, follow the instructions below.

Choose Start > Run.

Type cmd in the Open box, and then press Enter.

In the command window, type the following:

uninstall_flash_player.exe -uninstall

Note: Save the uninstall_flash_player.exe file to the same directory that the command window is in (for example C:\).

Additional information

This issue is due to registry key settings applied by the security model that Flash Player uses. The restriction is to prevent users from downgrading Flash Player minor versions. The minor version of Flash Player is the third set of numbers in the version name. For example, the minor version for Flash Player 10.0.32.18 would be 32. If Flash Player 10.0.32.18 was installed and you attempted to install 10.0.22.87 (minor version 22), then the installation would fail.